PRINTER'S NO. 27

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

No.

47

Session of

2015

INTRODUCED BY WILLIAMS, FOLMER, AUMENT, WAGNER AND RAFFERTY,

JANUARY 14, 2015

REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JANUARY 14, 2015

transformational model, for school transformation by parental

petition, for implementation of parental petition, for duties

of the Department of Education, for school district duties,

for School-to-school Partnership Program, for notification

and for guidelines.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known

as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding an

article to read:

The following words and phrases when used in this article

shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Charter management organization." A nonprofit organization

that operates or manages charter schools by centralizing or

sharing certain functions and resources among schools.

"Department." The Department of Education of the

Commonwealth.

"Education management organization." A for-profit

organization or nonprofit organization that provides services

for the operation of a school.

lowest 15% of its designation as an elementary school or a

secondary school based on combined mathematics and reading

scores from the annual assessment administered in the previous

school year and for which the department has posted results on

its publicly accessible Internet website. The term does not

include a charter school, cyber charter school or area

vocational-technical school. If, on the date the petition is

submitted, a school is identified as a low-achieving school, it

remains so until final disposition of the petition by the school

district notwithstanding that the school may be removed from the

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"Restart model." A school district model in which a school

district converts a school or closes and reopens a school under

any of the following that has been selected through a rigorous

review process:

(1) a charter school operator;

(2) a charter management organization; or

(3) an education management organization.

"School." A public elementary or secondary school in this

Commonwealth. The term does not include:

(1) a charter school;

"School closure." A school district turnaround option in

which the school district closes a school that results in

students being removed and enrolled in a higher performing

publicly funded school, including a charter school, cyber

charter school and private school receiving public funds within

the school district.

"Transformational model." A school district turnaround in

which a school district implements the strategies specified in

section 1711-D.

"Turnaround model." As follows:

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the new principal sufficient operational flexibility,

including flexibility in staffing, scheduling and

budgeting, to implement fully a comprehensive approach in

order to substantially improve student achievement

outcomes and increase high school graduation rates.

(ii) Using locally adopted competencies to measure

the effectiveness of staff who can work within the

turnaround environment to meet the needs of the students

by:

(A) screening the staff and rehiring no more

(C) more flexible work conditions that are

designed to recruit and retain staff with the skills

necessary to meet the needs of the students in the

turnaround school.

(iv) Providing staff with ongoing, high-quality,

job-embedded professional development that is aligned

with the comprehensive instructional program of the

school and designed with school staff to ensure that

staff are equipped to facilitate effective teaching and

learning to successfully implement school reform

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turnaround leader who reports directly to the

superintendent or chief academic officer or entering into

a multiyear contract with the school district to obtain

added flexibility in exchange for greater accountability.

(vi) Using data to identify and implement an

instructional program that is research based and

vertically aligned from one grade to the next as well as

aligned with State academic standards.

(vii) Promoting the continuous use of student data

from assessments to inform and differentiate instruction

(2) A turnaround model may include the implementation of

other strategies, including any of the required and

permissible strategies under the transformational model , or a

new school model based on a single theme.

(b) Transformational Model and

School District Using a Restart Model

Section 1711-D. Transformational model.

A transformational model shall implement the following

strategies:

(1) Developing and increasing teacher and school leader

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(B) use rigorous, transparent and equitable

evaluation systems for teachers and principals as

provided for under section 1123;

(C) identify and reward school leaders, teachers

and other staff who, in implementing the

transformational model, have increased student

achievement or high school graduation rates;

(D) identify and remove school leaders, teachers

and other staff who, in implementing the

transformational model, have not significantly

staff are equipped to facilitate effective teaching

and learning and have the capacity to successfully

implement school reform strategies; and

(F) implement such strategies as financial

incentives, increased opportunities for promotion and

career growth and more flexible work conditions that

are designed to recruit, place and retain staff with

the skills necessary to meet the needs of the

students in a transformational model school.

(ii) In addition to the strategies contained under

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and retain staff with the skills necessary to meet

the needs of the students in a transformational model

school;

(B) instituting a system for measuring changes

in instructional practices resulting from

professional development; and

(C) ensuring the school is not required to

accept a teacher without the mutual consent of the

teacher and principal, regardless of the seniority of

the teacher.

from one grade to the next; and

(B) promote the continuous use of student data

from assessments to inform and differentiate

instruction to meet the academic needs of individual

students.

(ii) In addition to the strategies implemented under

subparagraph (i), a school district may implement

comprehensive instructional reform strategies, such as:

(A) conducting periodic reviews to ensure that

the curriculum is being implemented with fidelity and

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intervention model;

(D) providing additional supports and

professional development to teachers and principals

in order to implement effective strategies to support

students with disabilities in the least restrictive

environment and to ensure that limited English

proficient students acquire language skills to master

academic content;

(E) using and integrating technology-based

supports and interventions as part of the

academies that prepare students for college and

careers, including providing appropriate supports

designed to ensure that low-achieving students

can take advantage of the programs and

coursework;

(II) improving student transition from

middle school to high school through summer

transition programs or freshman academies;

(III) increasing graduation rates through

strategies, such as credit-recovery programs,

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(IV) establishing early-warning systems to

identify students who may be at risk of failing

to achieve at high standards or graduate.

(3) Increasing learning time and creating community-

oriented schools as follows:

(i) A school district shall:

(A) establish schedules and implement strategies

that provide increased learning time; and

(B) provide ongoing mechanisms for family and

community engagement.

based organizations, health clinics, other State or

local agencies and others to create safe school

environments that meet the social, emotional and

health needs of the students;

(B) extending or restructuring the school day to

add time for advisory periods that build

relationships between students, faculty and other

school staff;

(C) implementing approaches to improve school

climate and discipline, such as implementing a system

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limited to:

(1) the petition format and submission process;

(2) the appeals procedure and timeline if the school

district chooses to implement a restart model or turnaround

option other than that requested by the petitioning parents;

(3) the selection and authorization of the public

charter operator in circumstances where a public charter

school is established under this article; and

(4) the procedures for rescission of parent signatures,

which must specifically provide that signatures may not be

section and address concerns identified through regulatory

action.

(c) Partnership program and technical assistance.--The

department shall establish the School-to-school Partnership

Program and provide technical assistance under section 1731-D.

(d) Financial assistance.--The department shall establish

and implement a program to provide financial assistance to a

mentor school in accordance with section 1731-D(c).

(e) Signatures and disposition of petition.--The department

is responsible for verifying petitioners' signatures and making

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final disposition of the petition.

Section 1724-D. School district duties.

A school district shall implement the intervention requested

by petition under section 1721-D(a) and in accordance with

section 1722-D.

(d) Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 1731-D. School-to-school Partnership Program.

(a) Establishment.--The following apply:

(1) The department shall establish a School-to-school

Partnership Program and shall provide technical assistance to

(iii) place the Statewide list established under

subparagraph (i) on the department's publicly accessible

Internet website.

(2) For purposes of this subsection, a mentor school is

a school that:

(i) has been removed from the list of low-achieving

schools developed by the department under section 1709-

G.1 of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as

the Tax Reform Code of 1971 ; or

(ii) using the most recent data available, has

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model or transformational model may participate in the School-

to-school Partnership Program by working with a mentor school

that has successfully transitioned from the list of low-

achieving schools. In doing so, the principal and, at the

discretion of the principal, the staff of a mentor school shall

provide :

(1) guidance to a low-achieving school to develop a

reform plan for the school using the required elements of the

turnaround or transformation model; and

(2) guidance and advice on how the mentor school was

district for each public school located in the school

district that serves as a mentor school that is proportionate

to the degree of school staff participation in the School-to-

school Partnership Program. A school district that receives

funding under this paragraph shall expend the funding for the

support of each mentor school.

(2) As a condition for receipt of funds, the principal

and, at the principal's discretion, the staff of a mentor

school shall meet regularly with the assigned low-achieving

school for a period of up to at least three years depending

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identified as a low-achieving school as defined under section

1702-G.1 of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the

Tax Reform Code of 1971.

Section 1733-D. Guidelines.

The department may establish guidelines as necessary for the

administration of this article. The guidelines must be published

in the Pennsylvania Bulletin as statements of policy.

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